Biological and Clinicopathological Significance of Cripto-1 Expression in the Progression of Human ESCC.

BACKGROUND: Human Cripto-1, a member of the EGF-CFC family, is involved in embryonic development, embryonic stem cell maintenance, and tumor progression. It also participates in multiple cell signaling pathways including Wnt, Notch, and TGF-ß. Remarkably, it is expressed in cancer stem cell (CSC) compartments, boosting tumor cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. Although Cripto-1 is overexpressed in a variety of human malignant tumors, its expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the possible oncogenic role of Cripto-1 in ESCC progression and elucidate its association with clinicopathological parameters in patients. METHODS: In this study, Cripto-1 expression in 50 ESCC tissue samples was analyzed and compared to corresponding margin-normal esophageal tissues using quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: Cripto-1 was overexpressed in nearly 40% of ESCC samples compared with normal tissue samples. Significant correlations were observed between Cripto-1 expression and tumor differentiation grade, progression stage, and location (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that overexpression of Cripto-1 is involved in the development of ESCC. Further assessment will be necessary to determine the role of Cripto-1 cross talk in ESCC tumorigenesis.

Cancer stem cell detection and isolation.

Only 10 % of cancer-related deaths result from primary tumors; most are caused by metastatic tumors. It is believed that the metastatic power of tumor cells is attributed to features of a stem cell-like subpopulation of tumor cells known as cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cancer stem cells are resistant to chemotherapeutic treatments and can induce dormancy in tumor cells for long periods. Detection, isolation, and characterization of CSCs in solid tumors are hallmarks of cancer-targeted therapies in recent years. There are inevitable similarities between normal and cancer stem cells; therefore, finding specific methods or markers to differentiate them is critical to cancer therapies. Considering CSCs involvement in tumor relapse and chemotherapeutic resistance, identification of such cells in tumors is imperative for effective targeted therapy. The present review introduces practical and specific protocols used to isolate CSCs from solid tumors from colon, esophagus, liver, breast, brain, and cervix.